Geoff Oldfather: Illegal Immigration on the Treasure Coast Has Harrell Talking
March 23rd, 2008 at 04:38pm Anthony Bonna
If there’s one issue almost as high on state lawmakers’ list of priorities as Florida’s budget and economy, it has to be illegal immigration.
In a year of hot-button issues, it’s more than just glowing red.
It’s starting to smoke.
That only makes sense, since most people look at illegal immigration as a pocketbook issue.
There are bills that would do everything from stopping public funding of day-labor centers to requiring local law enforcement officers to report anyone they arrest and suspect of being an illegal immigrant to federal Immigration, Customs and Enforcement agents.
It’s especially significant when you compare the number of bills introduced this session to last year.
I found 11 bills working their way through the House and Senate this session.
When I looked at last year’s records, I found two.
If legislation is a measure of what legislators think their constituents are concerned about, the conclusion is obvious.
People are fed up with illegal immigration and what they see as an increasing demand on resources they feel should be reserved for citizens.
“People tell me they don’t want state or local dollars going to help individuals who have broken the law by coming here and who continue to break the law,” said state Rep. Gayle Harrell, R-Port St. Lucie.
Harrell is sponsoring HB 821 to prohibit municipal, county or state money from being spent to establish or maintain day-labor centers like “El Sol” in Jupiter where illegal immigrants gather for jobs.
“If private organizations want to do that, fine. But there is to be no state or public funding to do this,” Harrell said.
She’s seen some opposition. When she conducted a news conference at the Capitol to announce the bill “we had demonstrators there saying we were anti-American and anti-Hispanic,” Harrell said.
Harrell scoffs at that generalization, which she says is thrown at people to take the focus off the real issue.
“I’m not anti-Hispanic. I am ‘anti illegal,’ ” Harrell said.
“What they don’t realize is my background. I speak fluent Spanish and have a master’s degree in Latin history. My children all speak Spanish,” Harrell said.
State Rep. William Snyder, R-Stuart, is sponsoring HB 107, the “Human Smuggling” bill, which would create a state law making it illegal to smuggle illegal immigrants into Florida. Harrell is a co-sponsor.
She’s also a co-sponsor of HB 73, sponsored by Donald D. “Don” Brown, R-DeFuniak Springs, which would among other things require people applying for public benefits to prove they’re in the United States legally.
I’ll be going to Tallahassee next week to follow Treasure Coast legislators on these and other issues and reporting back to you — as we do each year — on some of the behind-the-scenes things that happen as these and other bills make their way to final votes.
Harrell said she’s confident of these and other bills’ chances this year.
“Since the feds have not stepped up to the plate, the state has an obligation to do everything it can do,” Harrell said.
Martin County columnist Geoff Oldfather can be reached at (772) 221-4217 or geoff.oldfather@scripps.com.
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